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This could be the end of vinyl in North America...
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| DJChrisB |
There has been some speculation for a while, but now it has happened. Syntax Music, one of the very few (and certainly largest by far) vinyl record distributors in North America, is closing its doors today. Syntax supplies the majority of the records you find in local dance music record shops accross the country. I think their email to all of the retailers sums it up best...
| quote: | Email from Syntax
Hello All,
After over 10 years and countless records, Syntax is closing its doors.
Digital distribution, closing stores, a weak dollar, a poor economy and the rising cost of every aspect of distributing vinyl have brought us to an end.
We're all very sad here as this has been our passion and livelihood for as long as we've been "adults", but the time has come to move on.
It has been a pleasure to deal with you (almost all of you!)
This Friday, January 11th will be our last day. Our phones are no longer working so if you need to contact anyone here please e-mail [email protected]
Best of luck with all your endeavors.
Sincerely,
The Syntax Crew
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Whether you prefer vinyl or CD, it is a sad day. |
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| DOOMBOT |
Darn, I guess that's it. Me and thousands of others are simply done buying vinyl. :rolleyes:
Can someone write a script for this forum to see how many of these types of threads pop up throughout the year? I'd be interested to see the final number. :p |
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| Max Thomson |
| truly sad news. Syntax served the scene with passion and love for many years. The success of digital distribution is a direct result of the hard work these guys put into the music they love. Best of luck to them! |
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| nefardec |
this situation sucks
over christmas they opened their doors for private buyers to go in and buy stacks of vinyl at bargain prices
hopefully they have one final clearance sale before they close so i can go and stake my claim
read more here
http://www.rhythmism.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63765 |
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| Dojomaster26 |
That's really bad to hear :(
I'm not in love with vinyl as a format, but I am with the record stores that house those platters & CDs. We're moving towards a future where there will not be a way to find out about records from a human. |
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| Dojomaster26 |
Ironically, I just got this bulletin from a Charlotte vinyl shop:
| quote: |
Vinyl Gets Its Groove Back
Vinyl Is Suddenly Hot
It's not a significant part of our business, but there is enough there for me to take someone and have half their time devoted to making vinyl a real business,
From college dorm rooms to high school sleepovers, an all-but-extinct music medium has been showing up lately, writes TIME.COM. And we don't mean CDs. Vinyl records, especially the full-length LPs that helped define the golden era of rock in the 1960s and '70s, are suddenly cool again. Some of the new fans are baby boomers nostalgic for their youth. But to the surprise and delight of music executives, increasing numbers of the iPOD generation are also purchasing turntables (or dusting off dads'), buying long-playing vinyl records and giving them a spin.
Like the comeback of PUMA sneakers or vintage T shirts, vinyl's resurgence has benefited from its retro-rock aura. Many young listeners discovered LPs after they rifled through their parents' collections looking for oldies and found that they liked the warmer sound quality of records, the more elaborate album covers and liner notes that come with them, and the experience of putting one on and sharing it with friends, as opposed to plugging in some earbuds and listening alone.
The music industry, hoping to find another revenue source that doesn't easily lend itself to illegal downloads, has happily jumped on the bandwagon. Contemporary artists like THE KILLERS and RYAN ADAMS have begun issuing their new releases on vinyl in addition to the CD and mp3 formats. As an extra lure, many labels are including coupons for free audio downloads with their vinyl albums so that Generation Y music fans can get the best of both worlds: high-quality sound at home and iPOD portability for the road. Also, vinyl's different shapes (hearts, triangles) and eye-catching designs (bright colors, sparkles) are created to appeal to a younger audience. While new records sell for about $14, used LPs go for as little as a penny -- perfect for a teenager's budget -- or as much as $2,400 for a collectible, autographed copy of BECK's "Steve Threw Up."
"It's not a significant part of our business, but there is enough there for me to take someone and have half their time devoted to making vinyl a real business," says WEA Pres./CEO JOHN ESPOSITO.
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| nefardec |
yeah i mean everyone has a turntable and everyone is a "vintage vinyl collector" where I live.
but for serious deejays who patronize cutting edge electronic music on wax, this is going to be like a dark age
obviously the second hand record stores catering to the hipster crowd won't be affected |
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| roninmess |
| I have noticed that www.dancerecords.com has had a rapid decline of newer trance records from the big labels. Hope it is just a coincidence. |
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| wesleysnipez |
| Yeah that news hurts me some because I got over 500 vinyls in my time and if and when open to general public for that sale I be there there to grab a truckload vinyls if have it on web and all. Because I always get vinyls for hot tracks and all. |
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| MERiDiAN5i2 |
Eh, I wouldn't worry about it too much. One business pulling out of a market creates a business opportunity for someone else. I'm sure there are atleast 20 music lovers with large bank accounts thinking "hmm.. fill the void?" The next distributer will just have to do it more efficiently to make it lucrative.
Vinyl will never die. |
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| Dojomaster26 |
| quote: | Originally posted by MERiDiAN5i2
Vinyl will never die. |
Its nice to have a rosy outlook on things, but reality...
If you can show me a new release on 8-track, cassette, or BetaMax, then I'll eat my words:cool:
nef: You're right, but a vinyl shop can't dedicate its entire store to collectibles and 80s Rock albums. New and Used Dance vinyl make up most of that store's income, and I know that switching that stock to collectors' vinyl is not going to improve sales enough to keep the place in business.
Record stores are going to have to diversify their product lines in order to stay in business. Selling CDs alongside vinyl doesn't cut it anymore. Maybe with music-related merchandise (a la Hot Topic) on the rise, that our vinyl shops will end up looking like clothing stores...that have a vinyl section. I just hope that the stores' owners that are still in business wise up to changing their business plans to stay out of the red... |
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| nefardec |
| what about the distributors though? |
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